Nordic Winter Mornings – Nordic Rice Porridge with Caramelized Cinnamon Plums

It's cold. And by cold I mean temperatures as low as -25°C during the day. Add some wind and it feels more like -40°C. The last two weeks or so have been challenging. For example, keeping your face (and especially your nose!) warm is the no. 1 problem when it comes to leaving the house. Your eyelashes will basically freeze. That may even look cute but it doesn't feel very nice. You'll also find yourself entering a fancy department store in not-so-approriate clothes but end up thinking "Oh whatever! It's freakin' cold outside. Deal with it." Busses and trains won't work as they're supposed to (I'm talking about calcelled trains and bus doors that won't open unless the driver gives them a good kick). You can't use your mobile phone either because it just stops working in a matter of minutes and finally the battery dies. Oh, and let's not forget that your fingers will fall off if you try to use your touch screen. On the other hand, it's never as gorgeous outside as on bitter cold winter days when the sky is blue, the sun shines, and snow covered trees turn the forests into magical winter wonderlands.

I guess many of you agree that there's a special kind of comfortness in bowl foods. Maybe it's because they're so easy to eat on the sofa, wrapped up in a huge woolen blanket. Or maybe because they're often pretty flavorful yet simple dishes.

When winter hits hard, it's nice to enjoy a warm breakfast. Porridge is a popular breakfast item in the Nordic countries and many of us enjoy a bowl of oatmeal every single morning. I'm not that kind of a person but I still enjoy having porridge for breakfast every now and then. I especially love rice porridge. Sometimes I serve it with sugar, cinnamon, and milk only but sometimes I top it with caramelized fruit. In today's recipe I've made caramelized cinnamon plums but you could substitute the plums with whatever fruit you like the most, such as apples, pears, or peaches.

Comfort in a bowl. I hope you like it.

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Nordic Rice Porridge with Caramelized Plums

serves 2

As I mentioned above, you can substitute the plums with whatever fruit fits your taste or the season the best. The porridge itself isn't sweetened at all but you can of course add some sugar if you want to.

for the porridge:
a knob of butter
1 dl (½ cup) water
85 g (1 dl; ½ cup) short-grain white rice
500 ml (2 ¼ cups) whole milk
¼ tsp fine sea salt

for the plums:
2 tbsp butter
2 plums, pitted & sliced into wedges
2 tbsp (demerera) sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon

to serve:
sugar & cinnamon
milk, optional


In a small heavy-bottomed pot, melt the knob of butter. Add the water and bring to a boil. Add the rice. Boil for a couple of minutes, or until the water is completely absorbed. Stir every now and then. Add the milk and cook over low heat for about 40 minutes, or until the rice grains are tender and the porridge is creamy. Remember to stir the porridge regularly to avoid burning and sticking to the bottom.

While the porridge is cooking, make the caramelized cinnamon plums. In a medium-sized frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the plum wedges, sugar, and cinnamon. Cook for around 2 minutes on each side, or until soft and caramelized. Set aside.

When the porridge is ready, add the salt. If you like your porridge sweet, you can add sugar to taste. Serve with the caramelized cinnamon plums.

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Fall Vibes – Plum Galettes

Fall is the time for new beginnings. Kids go back to school and their parents go back to work; thousands of students start at colleges and at universities eager to get to know new people, to learn, and to dream big. As nature is getting ready to face winter, we're getting back to the everyday routines or are just creating new ones. 

For me, this fall started with a new full-time job. I've really enjoyed my first weeks, although I've often feeled rather exhausted when getting back home. It's been a challenge to manage both work, the blog, and my free-time. It has meant to be kinder to myself, to endure unfinished projects, and the fact that I can't be at more than one place at a time. As much as I've liked my new work and getting to know my colleagues, I've also got into decorating my office (it's one of the most fun parts, right?). I'm still looking for a picture to hang on the wall and am dreaming of a succulent terrarium, one of RK design's gorgeous wall hangings, and/or a minimalistic swag wreath. But still, I think that already a pot or two of something green really makes the whole room feel cozy and welcoming. They fill the space with life.

Weekends are more important than ever. They're spend loading up batteries and forgetting about work stuff. I've spent as much time as possible in the woods and in the kitchen, as those are the places where I find peace. Those are the places where I feel connected to myself and to my surroundings. When I'm in the woods, the words of Terry Tempest Williams come to my mind: "To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separated from." That women. If you haven't read her work, you should.

I've enjoyed roaming in the woods but sadly fall harvest doesn't look that good. Lingonberries are plenty and there are still wild blueberries to be picked. However, although chanterelles were plenty in summer, the woods are now short of mushrooms. I really hope that this will change soon! Maybe the weather will be more favorable in September and October; there are so many wild mushroom recipes that I'm eager to test and possibly share with you guys. Well, it's raining today, so I still have hope ;) Mushroom foraging trips are one of the best parts of fall.

At least there are plums (not in the woods but anyway)! Those juicy, delicious fellas are always worth waiting for; Zwetschgendatschi, plums with portwine, Kaiserschmarrn with plum compote (I hope to share the recipe with you this fall/early winter), rice porridge with caramelized, cinnamon-spiced plums... Gosh, how I cherish this season! So today, I want to share a recipe that's close to my heart. This galette is a long-time favorite; I've baked it every year for at least a decade. I still remember how I used to come back home from school only to find leftovers on the kitchen counter. I would reheat a slice and enjoy it with a dollop of whipped cream. It's a simple galette with a short ingredient list and easy to follow steps. The taste, however, is decadent. It's the kind of recipe I come back to again and again, that I share with family and friends, and that will surely be handed down through generations.

Please feel free to share your favorite plum recipes in the comment section below! One can never have too many.

P.S. I did a fun interview with the German Food & Travel magazine Speisen + Reisen this summer. I feel honoured to be featured in a 4-page-long (!) article as well as being able to share 5 recipes. The issue is out now, so be sure to get your copy! *crazyhappy*

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Plum Galettes

makes 6 small or 1 large galette

for the crust
220 g (4 dl; 1 ⅔ cups) all-purpose flour + more to dust
1 large pinch of fine sea salt
2 tbsp granulated sugar
150 g cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 tbsp ice cold water

for the filling
~ 400 g plums, cut into 6-8 wedges
45 g (½ dl; 3 ⅓ tbsp) granulated sugar

powdered sugar, to finish
whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve


To make the crust
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. With your fingers, quickly rub the butter into the dry ingredients until well incorporated and crumbly. The dough should now resemble coarse bread crumbs with plenty of pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Add water gradually just until the dough holds together when pinched. Work as fast as possible to avoid over-working the dough. Alternatively, you can make the dough with a pastry cutting tool or in a food processor.

Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least an hour.


To assemble and bake
Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Lightly dust the chilled dough with flour. If you're making small galettes, cut the dough into 6 equally-sized portions. Roll the dough out on a well-floured work surface into about 3 mm (0.1") thick circles. If the dough cracks, don't worry; just pinch it back together. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Arrange the plum wedges in the centre and be sure to leave a 4–5cm (1.5–2") border. Fold up the edges.

Bake on the middle rack for about 40 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and the filling bubbles.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I always reheat any leftovers; the flavors are so much better and the galette seems to simply melt in your mouth.

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Zwetschgendatschi – German Plum Sheet Cake

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When I bake, my mind finds peace.
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There's something about baking that calms me down even when my mind tries vigorously to solve out things that aren't really ones it can solve. Maybe it has to do with the familiar ritual of measuring flour, butter, and sugar. Maybe it's the rhythmical pace of kneading dough. Baking calms me down like nothing else, gives me comfort, makes me feel whole again. Whether in moments of pure joy or of sadness, you can find me in the kitchen with a bowl in my hands and flour in my hair.

I'm back at my most favorite kitchen window, my favorite spot to bake and take pictures. I'm kneading dough and quartering plums while enjoying the beautiful scenery; alps and cows. The light is, again, magical. Soft, clean, and welcoming. Perfect.

Prune plums, called Zwetschgen here, are in season from August to September. They are used to make one of my most favorite cakes, Zwetschgendatschi, a traditional plum sheet cake that is topped with lots of streusel or sliced almonds. I belong to that range of people who always choose a slice with streusel; maybe it's because my beloved late Oma made it that way. A generous dollop of whipped cream is almost mandatory, although, to be honest with you I was too lazy to whip cream this time, so I enjoyed the Zwetschgendatschi plain. And you know what? It was luscious.

This cake is basically the best thing you can do when you spot gorgeous prune plums at the farmers' market or have some sitting on your kitchen counter waiting for their destiny.

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Zwetschgendatschi – German Plum Sheet Cake

The recipe yields one large sheet and is adapted from a handwritten note my Oma has given me years ago. It tastes just like hers did. This is not just a cake; it's an ode to her.

If you prefer a thinner crust, make the dough I used in this Rhubarb Strawberry Datschi – the result will be a more sophisticated, delicate Datschi with a higher fruit to crust ratio.

for the dough
250 ml (1 cup) lukewarm milk
21 g fresh yeast [or 7 g / 2 ¼ tsp (instant) active dry yeast, used according to packet instructions]
66 g (5 tbsp) granulated sugar
1 pinch of fine sea salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil, such as canola or olive oil
2 eggs (European size M; U.S. L) OR 1 egg (European size L; U.S. XL), at room temperature
~ 500 g all-purpose flour

for the streusel
230 g all-purpose flour
125 g granulated sugar
pinch of fine sea salt
125 g unsalted butter

for the topping
~ 1 kg (generous 2 lb) Zwetschgen (prune plums) or damson plums, quartered
2 tbsp granulated sugar
cinnamon

optional:
whipped cream, to serve

To make the dough
In a medium-sized bowl, combine milk and crumbled yeast. [If using instant active dry yeast, skip this step. Combine yeast with some flour and add to warm, about 42°C / 108°F, milk mixture just before adding the rest of the flour.] Stir until yeast is completely dissolved. Add sugar, salt, oil, and eggs. Whisk until combined. Gradually add flour and knead. Continue to knead and add flour until the dough comes clean off the sides of the bowl and doesn't stick to your hands. Note: You can make the dough in a stand mixer if you prefer.

Shape into a ball and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it's almost double in size.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C / 355°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

To make the streusel
In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and butter until you have a crumbly mixture. If not using immediately, put the bowl into the fridge until ready to use.

To assemble the Datschi
With a rolling pin, roll out the dough until roughly the size of the baking sheet. Spread out on the prepared baking sheet and pull into shape. Arrange the plum quarters in slightly overlapping rows (tightly and cut side up) over the dough. Leave a rim of about 1 cm / 0.5". Sprinkle with sugar and some cinnamon. Sprinkle the streusel over the fruit.

Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the edges are dark brown. Let cool, cut into squares, and, if you like, serve with a generous dollop of whipped cream.

The Datschi will keep for up to 3 days and is, in my opinion, at its best on the second day when the flavors have developed.

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A Rainy Day and Plum Crumble

Lie on the bridge and watch the water flowing past.
Or run, or wade through the swamp in your red boots.
Or roll yourself up and listen to the rain falling on the roof.
It's very easy to enjoy yourself.

– Tove Jansson, Moominvalley in November

It was a rainy day. Rain on the roof, against the windows. Sometimes quite harsh, sounding like a drum roll. Then gentle again, like a whisper, quiet and peaceful. Rain. I love its smell, its sound, and the comfort it brings. Walking through a warm summer rain and getting completely soaked. Don't like to get wet? Maybe the Rain Room is what your dreams are made of. Cocooned and protected.

Fall cannot exist without crumbles - apple crumble, plum crumble, berry crumble, pear crumble... You name it! And because it was raining and it's fall and I had some plums sitting on my countertop, I decided to make a plum crumble. I don't know where the idea with coconut came from but it turned out to be just as good as I imagined. With a hint of cinnamon to give it a homey feeling. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoyed in good company. A dream!

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Coconut Plum Crumble

Filling
500 g (1 lb) plums, quartered
1 tbsp demerara sugar

Crumble
60 g (2 oz; 2 dl) desiccated coconut
50 g (1 3/4 oz; 1 dl + 1 tbsp) rolled oats
40 g (1 1/2 oz; 1 dl + 2/3 tbsp) all-purpose flour
45 g (1 1/2 oz; 1/2 dl) demerara sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
60 g (2 oz) unsalted butter, cold & diced

Vanilla ice cream, vanilla sauce, or whipped cream, to serve.

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

To make the crumble: In a medium-sized bowl combine the coconut, oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry blender, a fork, or your hands, cut in the butter. You can make the crumble ahead of time. Just keep it refrigerated until ready to use.

Put the plums and sugar into a 21 cm (8") baking dish. Sprinkle with the crumble.

Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling and the topping is golden. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, vanilla sauce, or whipped cream.

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